Field Notes
Measurement
If your dashboard still treats position 1 as the goal, it is measuring a smaller and smaller share of discovery.
April 2, 2026
Rank tracking assumed the SERP was the destination. It is now one of several. Answer boxes, agent responses, and in-app search siphon intent before a click ever fires.
Measurement has to widen to include share of citation, share of answer, and share of assisted discovery.
What to add to the dashboard
Share of citation: how often you appear inside answer-engine responses for a tracked query set.
Share of answer: whether your source is the primary quoted one or a secondary reference.
Assisted discovery: attributed sessions that started outside classic search — chat, agent, social — but converted on your site.